Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich will not need surgery on his fractured right knee cap and will be out for eight to 10 weeks but will be ready for spring training, the Brewers announced Thursday. 

MLB analyst Jim Bowden first reported Wednesday that Yelich wouldn't need surgery. 

On Thursday, Yelich released a statement on Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/ChristianYelich/status/1172205128973266949

This comes after the Brewers announced the reigning National League MVP exited Tuesday's win over the Miami Marlins with the injury and would be out for the rest of the season.

While a six-week timeframe would almost surely mean Yelich will still miss the rest of the season barring a possible World Series run from a Brewers team that is still a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for the final NL wild-card spot, this is welcome news for his 2020 campaign.

Had he needed surgery this late into the 2019 season, he may have been delayed at the start of next year. That would have been an even more difficult blow for Milwaukee considering he is one of the game's premier players.

Yelich won the NL MVP last year by slashing .326/.402/.598 with 36 home runs and 110 RBI and is right in the middle of the MVP race again this year with a .329/.429/.671 slash line, 44 long balls and 97 RBI. He is a primary reason the Brewers won the NL Central last year and are still battling for their playoff lives in 2019.

He suffered the injury during Tuesday's game when he fouled a pitch directly off his kneecap in the first inning. He remained on the ground for some time before limping to the dugout.

"First and foremost, we feel awful for Christian. This is a guy who's carried us in a number of ways over the last two years," general manager David Stearns said, per ESPN. "He could've [been] two and a half weeks away from a repeat Most Valuable Player award. So that's where our thoughts go first."

Ben Gamel started in right field for Milwaukee during Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Marlins, and Trent Grisham can play there if needed.

While replacing Yelich and still making the playoffs is a tall task for the Brewers, they can at least take solace knowing he will not need surgery following this setback.     

With the book on Christian Yelich's season closed, the races for the National League's second wild card and MVP suddenly look wide open.

The Milwaukee Brewers suffered the most crushing loss of their season Tuesday night even though they beat the Miami Marlins on the road for their fifth straight win. Yelich, the reigning NL MVP, had to come out of the game after he fouled a ball off his right knee in the first inning. The Brewers gave everyone the bad news a few hours later:

Christian Yelich left tonight’s game with a fractured right knee cap. He will miss the remainder of the season.

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 11, 2019

Of all the injuries that could have happened in the final weeks of the 2019 Major League Baseball season, it's hard to imagine one more seismically disruptive than this one.

Yelich entered 2019 off an absurdly hard act to follow, as he led the 2018 Brewers to 96 wins with a .326 average, 1.000 OPS, 36 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Yet the 27-year-old barely broke a sweat in upping his average to .329, his OPS to 1.100, his homers to 44 and his steals to 30. According to wins above replacement, he was either the second-best (per Baseball Reference) or once again the best (per FanGraphs) player in the National League.

In other words, Yelich had an outstanding case for a second straight MVP based solely on his numbers. Yet the narrative of his season had the potential to be even more persuasive. Without their superstar right fielder, the Brewers wouldn't have risen even to a 76-68 record.

"This is a guy who has carried us in a number of ways over the last two years," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said of Yelich, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He could have been two-and-a-half weeks away from a repeat Most Valuable Player award."

Now that a dreadful Yelich-less hypothetical has become reality for the Brewers, the obvious question is: How majorly screwed are they?

For what it's worth, the Brewers entered Wednesday's action only one game behind the 77-67 Chicago Cubs for the NL's second wild-card slot. And according to FanGraphs, their chances of making the postseason still edges those of their pursuers:

• Milwaukee Brewers: 24.7%
• New York Mets: 13.7%
• Arizona Diamondbacks: 7.1%
• Philadelphia Phillies: 5.1%

There are real shreds of hope at work. Apart from a three-game set against the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers' remaining games are all against losing clubs. Yelich's injury also gives 22-year-old Trent Grisham a chance to prove his 1.010 OPS and 26 homers in the minors his season were legit.

Yet despite all Yelich did for them while he was healthy, the Brewers' minus-27 run differential suggests they've needed plenty of good fortune to get to eight games over .500. They'll need contributions from all over if that's going to continue.

To this end, Yelich's busted knee isn't Milwaukee's only inconveniently timed injury. The club is also without sweet-swinging rookie Keston Hiura (hamstring) and ace right-hander Brandon Woodruff (oblique). Veteran slugger Mike Moustakas has mostly only been able to play defense recently because of a sore hand.

In light of all this, the Cubs—who have been treading water since a 22-6 run in April and May—can breathe a little easier while the Mets, Diamondbacks and Phillies fight one another to get through the door that just opened.

The 75-69 Phillies have the inside track despite their low playoff chances. While they're not without aches, pains and other concerns, they're on a 15-11 run fueled by long-awaited mashing from Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto.

Just took a DNA test, turns out we are 100% in LOVE with back-to-back BLASTS from @JTRealmuto and @bryceharper3!!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/ouSfmGQ66X

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 10, 2019

Elsewhere in the NL East, the Mets have cooled to 74-70 since a 27-9 stretch in July and August. Even still, any team with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman and Zack Wheeler in its starting rotation and Pete Alonso in its lineup shouldn't be counted out.

But perhaps it's the 75-70 Diamondbacks who must not be sold short as the Cubs' most likely usurper. By all rights, their trade of longtime ace Zack Greinke at the July 31 deadline should have sunk them. Instead, breakout slugger Ketel Marte and a hot rotation are leading an 11-4 streak.

Even with Yelich in the mix, the race for the NL's second wild card was difficult to handicap. Despite the existence of FanGraphs' carefully calculated chances, it's practically impossible to handicap now.

Mercifully, there's a bit more clarity in the NL MVP race.

It's probably still Cody Bellinger's to lose. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar hasn't quite achieved Yelich-ian offensive brilliance, but a .306 average, 1.049 OPS and 44 homers are plenty brilliant. And while FanGraphs WAR places him below Yelich, no other National Leaguer is close to his 8.3 WAR at Baseball Reference.

Yet Bellinger's position in the NL MVP race is surmountable. Though his overall numbers remain outstanding, his OPS has gotten lower every month. If a few more cold weeks from him coincide with a few more hot weeks from another candidate, an upset may be in the offing.

Marte and Anthony Rendon, who's taken the lead in guarding the Washington Nationals against a post-Harper demise, are already hot on Bellinger's heels. Both are having superb seasons, and they also occupy the NL's top two slots in OPS since the All-Star break:

• Anthony Rendon: 1.108
• Ketel Marte: 1.104

When it comes to phrases that shouldn't be used lightly, "this changes everything" is near the top of the list. But because two of the most important matters in the National League are headed for thrilling conclusions, Yelich's season-ending injury makes the grade for an appropriate use of it.

                       

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich's season is over at the worst possible time for the team's playoff hopes, as the Brewers announced the outfielder suffered a fractured kneecap during Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins. 

Per Fox Sports Wisconsin's Sophia Minnaert, Yelich was replaced by Trent Grisham in the first inning when he fouled a ball off his knee. 

An extended injury is the worst-case scenario for Milwaukee, especially with the team fighting for a playoff spot.

Yelich is once again in the National League MVP race with a .330/.430/.672 slash line, 44 homers and 97 RBI in 129 games. 

The Brewers entered Tuesday's game with a 75-68 record, two games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second wild-card spot in the NL. 

While Yelich carries the Brewers offense when he is on the field, his injury now creates a significant hole.

Grisham has appeared in only 32 games this season. He's looked solid with a .260/.324/.448 slash line, but there's no way for the 22-year-old to replace what Yelich offers.

If you come for Christian Yelich, you best not miss.

Earlier Tuesday, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder was criticized by a Twitter user named Roxane J for posing nude in ESPN's newest edition of the "Body Issue." "It's really sad how you didn't give a thought about all the young kids that idolize you before doing your naked photo shoot," Roxane said in a since-deleted tweet. "Distasteful."

Yelich responded first on Twitter, and then the reigning National League MVP put on the finishing touches to the tune of "Roxanne" by The Police on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals:

https://twitter.com/ChristianYelich/status/1166362594996887552

.@ChristianYelich changes his walk-up song to Roxanne.

* chefs kiss * pic.twitter.com/1NNDzrtjbz

— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 28, 2019

Apart from Roxane's—or anyone's—criticism, Yelich explained his decision to join the 2019 "Body Issue" roster:

#Brewers Christian Yelich said he had "great time" posing nude for The Body Issue of ESPN the Magazine. pic.twitter.com/0pWqBC4RgB

— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 26, 2019

While clothed, Yelich is leading MLB in slugging percentage (.679) and OPS (1.105) this season to go along with 41 home runs that are behind only Cody Bellinger, Mike Trout and Pete Alonso, who each have 42, for most in the league.

The Milwaukee Brewers have upgraded their pitching staff by trading for Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The San Francisco Giants will receive shortstop prospect Mauricio Dubon in return.

Pomeranz has struggled on the mound this season, producing a 5.68 ERA and 2-9 record, but he has pitched well since being moved to the bullpen and could remain in that role going forward.

In four appearances as a reliever, Pomeranz has allowed just one hit and zero runs in 5.1 innings. If he can keep this up, he could be an impact player down the stretch for Milwaukee.

Black has limited experience at the major league level but could be a useful addition in the bullpen.

The Brewers remain in the playoff hunt at 56-51 entering Wednesday, just 1.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. However, they have few reliable options in the bullpen besides Josh Hader.

Adding bullpen help could make the team much more formidable down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Giants receive the Brewers' No. 3 prospect in the system, according to MLB.com. Dubon only has two at-bats in the majors, but he has played well in Triple-A this year with a .297 batting average and 16 home runs in 98 games.

Mauricio Dubon is in the top three of players that have been most fun/impressive to watch in the PCL play against the @IowaCubs. Smooth fielder, .300 hitter with some pop without a lot of strikeouts.

He leaves the team with the best record in the PCL, @missionsmilb. Big moves.

— Alex Cohen (@voiceofcohen) July 31, 2019

This appears to be a strong return for two pitchers who had mostly fallen out of favor within the Giants organization.

The Milwaukee Brewers got some much-needed pitching help by acquiring Jordan Lyles from the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

The team announced the move Monday, noting the Pirates will receive minor league pitcher Cody Ponce from Milwaukee. 

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported the Brewers were trading for Lyles. 

The Brewers badly needed to make a move prior to the July 31 trade deadline because their rotation has been decimated by injuries. 

Brandon Woodruff, Jhoulys Chacin, Corbin Burnes and Jimmy Nelson are currently on the injured list. Woodruff, who was named to the National League All-Star team earlier this month, is expected to miss six weeks due to an oblique strain suffered during a July 21 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Starting pitching has been an Achilles' heel for Milwaukee, even when everyone has been healthy. The defending NL Central champs rank 20th in MLB with a 4.84 ERA from their starters and 22nd with 533.2 innings pitched. 

Lyles returns to the Brewers after posting a 3.31 ERA in 11 appearances for them last season. He has struggled in 2019 with a 5.36 ERA in 82.1 innings, but Milwaukee is at a point where it needs anyone who can eat innings to get it through the stretch run.

Ponce was a second-round by the Brewers in 2015. The 25-year-old has a 3.29 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 38.1 innings out of the bullpen in Double-A this season. 

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez was forced to leave Friday night's game against the Chicago Cubs because of left shoulder tightness.

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com provided the update.

Gonzalez was pitching a gem before leaving in the seventh inning. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings. It lowered his season ERA to 3.48 across eight starts.

The 33-year-old Florida native was making just his second outing since coming off the injured list with arm fatigue. He gave up three runs in four innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, which marked his first MLB game since May 27.

Gonzalez spent the latter stages of the 2018 campaign with the Brewers, who acquired him in an August trade with the Washington Nationals. He signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent but rejoined Milwaukee after opting out of his deal with the Yanks following a month in the minor leagues.

The left-hander owned a 3.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 1,775 strikeouts in 1,849 MLB innings entering Friday's start.

If Gonzalez is forced back on the IL, he'll become the fourth Brewers starter to get sidelined by an injury over the past month. Jimmy Nelson (elbow), Brandon Woodruff (oblique) and Jhoulys Chacin (lat) are all on the IL, with Woodruff and Chacin being placed on the list this week.

The Brewers entered today with three healthy starting pitchers. Gio Gonzalez is leaving with an injury. The last thing the Brewers needed.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 27, 2019

It could force Milwaukee, which is right in the thick of both the NL Central and NL Wild Card races, to become aggressive in its pursuit of pitching help ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

The Milwaukee Brewers will reportedly be without All-Star pitcher Brandon Woodruff in the immediate future after he suffered a left oblique injury during Sunday's win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the news, noting Woodruff will be placed on the injured list.

Woodruff started Sunday's contest but left in the fourth inning after allowing four earned runs, six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The bullpen didn't allow a run the rest of the game, which allowed Milwaukee to overcome an early 4-0 deficit and notch a 7-4 win.

Haudricourt pointed out the inherent uncertainty with such an injury, which could leave the Brewers scrambling for weeks:

#Brewers have no way of knowing how long Woodruff will be out. Sometimes takes six weeks. They will wait for MRI and exam on Monday for more info. But fact is their best starter is going on IL.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 22, 2019

The right-hander had made just 12 career starts entering the 2019 campaign but has carried Milwaukee's rotation for stretches this year. He entered Sunday's contest with a 3.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 114.2 innings. He'd allowed only one run in each of his previous three starts.

Woodruff and the Brewers are just two games behind the Chicago Cubs in what figures to be a tight National League Central race for a second straight year. They beat Chicago in a tiebreaker game for the division last season, underscoring how important every outing is heading into the pressure-packed stretch run of the pennant race.

Milwaukee will need Jhoulys Chacin, Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Gio Gonzalez to carry the rotation while Woodruff is out. But until its ace returns, it is still far less dangerous in the division race and as a potential playoff opponent.

The Milwaukee Brewers are signing Shelby Miller after the pitcher was released by the Texas Rangers on July 4, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal added that Miller agreed to a minor league deal.

With the Rangers this season, Miller pitched in 19 games—starting eight of them—and posted a 1-3 record along with a staggering 8.59 ERA. 

The 28-year-old right-hander spent three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks before the club released him in Nov. 2018. Miller was riddled with injuries throughout his three seasons in Arizona, and he underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm in May 2017.

When healthy enough to pitch, Miller posted a 5-18 record as a Diamondback. The Rangers then inked him to a one-year contract in January, but the signing clearly didn't work out.

Miller's most productive season came with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 when he went 15-9 and posted a 3.06 ERA across 31 starts. His lone All-Star season came in 2016, his only season with the Atlanta Braves in which he made the National League All-Star team despite leading MLB in losses at 6-17.

Although the Brewers have reportedly only signed Miller to a low-risk minor league pact, the club must hold some semblance of hope that he could return to form and contribute to a pitching staff that ranked 18th in MLB with a 4.61 ERA heading into Thursday's league action.

While some players refrain from participating in the Home Run Derby out of fear the contest will affect their swing, Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich has no such concerns.

"Basically, Home Run Derby is batting practice," Yelich told reporters Thursday. "It's just trying to hit home runs with every swing. I'm not worried in the slightest about a swing change or it ruining my swing. Anybody that is like educated in the matter, knows about baseball or has played the game, would really understand it's going to be just fine."

Is #Brewers slugger Christian Yelich worried about HR Derby ruining his swing? "Not in the slightest. " pic.twitter.com/8gEH7wiu1k

— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 4, 2019

"How much damage can you do to your swing in four minutes of batting practice?" Yelich added, noting each round is four minutes long.

Milwaukee is hoping the answer is "none," given how vital the 2018 National League MVP is to his team's success.

Yelich is having another superb season, hitting .328/.425/.712 with a 1.138 OPS. His 31 home runs lead the majors.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Yelich's 31 homers are the most hit prior to the All-Star break in franchise history, and he is the eighth reigning MVP to reach the 30-mark prior to the Midsummer Classic.

His historic start has helped the Brewers (46-42) keep pace in the ultra-competitive NL Central, as they are tied for first with the Chicago Cubs. All five teams in the division are within 3.5 games of each other.

Those who believe the Derby ruins swings need only look back to last year to find evidence to the contrary. Bryce Harper entered the 2018 All-Star break hitting just .214 for the season. After winning the slugfest in front of the hometown crowd, the then-Washington Nationals star went on to hit .300 following the break.

"Whether the second half goes good or bad for me, [participating in the Home Run Derby] will have no bearing on it," Yelich said. "If this was such a dangerous thing to do for your performance, guys wouldn't do it."

Yelich enters the 2019 Home Run Derby as the top seed, setting up a showdown with Toronto Blue Jays phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

There WILL be dingers.

Your 2019 #HRDerby field. pic.twitter.com/1hBYD0l65n

— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2019

If Yelich can come out victorious at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Monday, he would join Prince Fielder (2009) as the only players in Brewers history to win the derby. 

The winner of the Home Run Derby will receive a $1 million prize, with the runner-up receiving $500,000. The other participants will take home $150,000 apiece.